Feast of Fools (23 page)

‘‘How charming. So young for a lawyer.'' Ysandre sipped from the bottle, gagged, and shook her head. ‘‘Why your vampires subject themselves to this indignity is beyond my understanding. This is rancid. Undrinkable filth.'' She threw the bottle back at Claire, who had no choice but to try to catch it; she did, but the contents splattered cold over her face and neck. ‘‘Remove it from our presence.'' Her eyes took on a horrible dull shine, angry and cruel. ‘‘And clean yourself up. You're as useless as the hospitality you offer.''

‘‘Get out,'' Claire said. She felt the power of the house now, gathering like a storm around her. Rushing into the cool silence, crackling with energy. ‘‘Get out of our house.
Now.
''

It exploded up through her feet, painful and shocking, and hit Ysandre and François like a bolt of invisible lightning. It knocked them flat, grabbed them by the ankles, and
dragged
them to the front door, which crashed open before they reached it.

Ysandre shrieked and clawed at the floor, but it was useless. In that moment, the house wasn't taking any prisoners.

It threw them out into the sun. François and Ysandre staggered to their feet, covered their heads, and ran for their car.

Claire stood in the doorway, spattered with cold blood, and yelled, ‘‘And don't come back!''

The power cut off, and the sudden emptiness left her shaking. Claire clung to the door for a few seconds, long enough to see them drive away, and then staggered back to the living room. Shane sat on the couch with his shirt unbuttoned to the waist, head in his hands.

Shuddering.

‘‘You okay?'' she asked.

He nodded convulsively without looking up at her. Michael opened the kitchen door and came straight to her. He had a towel, and he scrubbed the blood off her face and hands with rough, anxious movements.

‘‘How did you do that?'' he asked. ‘‘Even I can't— not on command. Not like that.''

‘‘I don't know,'' she said. She felt sick and shaky, and perched on the couch next to Shane. Shane was buttoning his shirt. His fingers moved slowly, and didn't seem very steady, either.

‘‘Shane?'' Michael stood next to him, and his voice was very gentle.

‘‘Yeah, man, I'm fine,'' he said. His voice was threadbare with exhaustion. ‘‘She may own me, but she can't take possession until tomorrow night. I don't think she'll risk coming back here. Not just for me.'' He looked up at Michael then, and Michael nodded tightly. ‘‘I don't want to ask, but—''

‘‘You don't have to ask,'' Michael said. ‘‘I'll look out for you. As much as I can.''

They bumped fists.

‘‘I need a shower,'' Shane said, and went upstairs. He wasn't moving like Shane, not at all—too slow, too heavy, too . . . defeated.

Michael had made the promise, but Claire was afraid—very afraid—that he wouldn't be able to keep it. Once they were away from this house, isolated and separated, nobody could stop Ysandre from doing whatever she wanted to Shane. To Michael. To
anyone.

If Jason had been telling the truth when he'd come by the house looking to talk, then Oliver had had something to say. Maybe he still did.

Maybe, somehow, it would help Shane.

It was really the only thing Claire could think of that might help.

When she went to Oliver's coffee shop, she walked into more trouble, although it wasn't as obvious as Ysandre and François taking over the living room. In fact, it took Claire a few seconds to identify what was odd about what she was seeing, because on the surface it looked quite normal.

But it wasn't.

Eve was sitting peacefully across the table from Oliver, whom she'd sworn she'd rather stake than look at again. And whatever it was she was saying, Oliver was gravely listening, head cocked, expression composed. He had a very thin smile on his face, and his eyes were fixed on Eve's face with so much focus it made Claire's skin crawl.

She was going to draw their attention, standing like an idiot in the middle of the room, even as busy as the place was. She turned away, went to the coffee bar, and ordered a mocha she didn't crave, just to have some reason to be here. Eve was too deep into her own thing to realize Claire had come in, but Oliver knew; Claire could feel it, even though he hadn't so much as glanced her way.

She paid her four bucks and took her overpriced, yet delicious, drink to an empty table near the front windows, where there were plenty of students to cover her. She didn't really need to worry, though; when Eve got up and left, she walked straight out, and she didn't look right or left as she stiff-armed the door and stalked off down the street. She was wearing a black satin ankle-length skirt that reminded Claire of the inside of a coffin, and a purple velvet top, and she looked thin and fragile.

She looked vulnerable.

‘‘Terrible, the lengths some girls will go to for attention, '' Oliver said, and settled into a chair across from Claire. ‘‘Don't you think her obsession with the morbid is a bit much?''

She didn't take the bait, just looked at him. The line of sunlight was very close to him, and creeping closer. In another few minutes, it would touch him on the shoulder. She knew he, like most older vampires, had partial immunity to sunlight, but it would still hurt.

Oliver knew what she was thinking. He glanced at the hot line of light and scooted his chair sideways, enough to buy another few minutes in the shadows.

‘‘Why did you send Jason the other night?'' she asked.

‘‘Why do you think I sent him?''

‘‘He said so.''

‘‘Is Jason so reliable a source as all that? I thought he was a crazed murderer who was stalking his own sister.''

‘‘What did you just talk to Eve about?''

Oliver raised his eyebrows. ‘‘I believe that is Eve's business, not yours. If there's nothing else—''

‘‘Ysandre and François just tried a power play at our house.
In our house
, Oliver. Why did you send Jason?''

Oliver was quiet a moment. He wasn't looking at her at all; he was watching the people walking outside on the street, the cars passing. His gaze wandered over the students inside his shop, talking and laughing. There was something odd in his expression, as if—like Eve—he was suddenly aware of his own vulnerability.

And that of others.

‘‘I don't admit that I did send him,'' Oliver said. ‘‘But if I did, obviously I would have had a very good reason, yes?''

She didn't answer. His gaze flashed back to her, bright and very, very focused. ‘‘I have never made any secret of my desire for power, Claire. I don't like Amelie, and she doesn't care for me, but our games are honest ones. We know the rules and we abide by them. But Bishop—Bishop is beyond all rules. He would take our game board and overturn it completely, and that I cannot have. Not even if I gain in the process.''

The light dawned, finally. ‘‘Bishop tried to recruit you. Against Amelie.'' Claire's blood chilled a couple of degrees. ‘‘You couldn't tell her directly. So you wanted to use Jason to tell me, and let me tell her.''

‘‘Too late now. Things are moving too quickly to the edge. It's not within my power to halt it, or hers. Much less yours, Claire.''

Claire realized she was clutching the table in a death grip, and let go. Her fingers ached from the pressure. ‘‘What were you talking to Eve about?''

Oliver's eyes fixed on hers, and he said, ‘‘She is accompanying me to the feast.''

Eve was going to the masked ball. With Oliver.

Claire sat back, unable to think of a single thing to say for a moment, and then it hit her exactly what that meant. ‘‘Does Michael know?''

‘‘Frankly, I could not care less. Eve can explain it as and if she chooses; it's no concern of mine. I believe I'm finished assisting you with your inquiries, Claire. But if I might give you a piece of advice—'' Oliver leaned forward, and it put him completely in the sun. He didn't flinch, though the pupils of his eyes contracted to almost nothing, and his skin began to take on a definite pink tinge. ‘‘Stay home tomorrow. Lock your doors and windows, and if you're a religious person, a little prayer might not go amiss.''

It was such a startling thing for him to say that Claire almost laughed. ‘‘I'm supposed to pray? For who, you?''

Oliver didn't blink. ‘‘If you would,'' he said, ‘‘that would be comforting. I don't think anyone's done it in quite some time.''

He stood up and walked away. Claire sat for a while staring off into the afternoon sunlight, sipping a mocha long gone cold and tasting nothing at all. When a knot of big upper-class jocks asked her, none too politely, if she was done with the table, she left without any protest. She went for a walk, following the curve of streets without any real awareness of where she was, or where she might be going.

All these people.
She was away from the college crowd now, and Morganville natives took advantage of the sunshine any way they could—sunbathing, working in their gardens, painting their houses.

And tomorrow, if Oliver was right, it could be all over. If Bishop succeeded in taking over from Amelie . . .

Claire realized with a start that the sun was slipping toward the horizon, and turned at the nearest cross street to head for home. She made it with the day still officially in the late-afternoon phase, although twilight was creeping in, but as she opened the gate and came through the walk, she realized that someone was sitting on the front steps waiting for her.

Shane.

‘‘Hey,'' he said.

‘‘Hey,'' she returned, and sat down next to him. He was looking out at the street, the occasional passing car. A breeze ruffled his dark hair, and the sunlight made his skin look like it had a faint brushing of gold.

God, he was so . . . perfect. And he was breaking her heart with the look in his eyes.

‘‘So,'' Shane said. ‘‘I was thinking we should go out tonight.''

‘‘Out?'' she repeated blankly. ‘‘Out where?''

He shrugged. ‘‘Doesn't matter. Movies. Dinner. I'd take you to the local bar for a blowout, but your dad might kill me.'' Shane looked at her for a few seconds, then went back to his careful study of nothing. ‘‘I just want to spend tonight doing something with you. Whatever it is.''

Because tomorrow, it could all change. It was the same eerie feeling Claire had felt walking around town: the feeling that the world was ending, and only a few people had a clue it was coming.

‘‘Any place you've always wanted to go?'' Claire asked.

‘‘Sure. I play a great game of Anywhere but Here. You mean in Morganville?'' He was quiet for a second, as if the question had caught him by surprise. ‘‘Maybe. You up for a drive?''

‘‘In whose car?''

‘‘Eve's.'' He held up the car keys and jangled them. ‘‘I made her a deal. I get the car two nights a week; I do her share of the chores two more days. I'm exercising my rental coupon.''

‘‘The sun's going down,'' Claire felt compelled to point out.

‘‘So it is.'' He jangled the car keys again. ‘‘Well?''

Really, he already knew what the answer would be.

They drove to a restaurant near the vampire downtown area—far enough that it had mostly human patronage, but still stayed open late. There was a lounge area with a dance floor, and a jukebox that played oldies. Shane had a beer he was too young to order. Claire had a Coke, and they spent a roll of quarters on choosing songs, one right after another.

"This is the biggest damn iPod I've ever seen,'' Claire said, which made him choke on his beer. ‘‘Kidding. I have seen a jukebox before.''

‘‘The way you're feeding it, I'm not so sure. You think you picked enough songs?''

‘‘I don't know,'' she said. ‘‘How many will it take to play all night?''

He put his beer down on the table, put his arms around her, and they swayed together as the songs changed, and changed, and changed.

And around them, Morganville slowly went quiet.

10

Saturday dawned cooler and windier, with a breath of chill cutting like metal.

Shane and Claire drove in just before dawn, exhausted but peaceful. They'd danced until the restaurant closed down, then drove, then parked. It had been sweet and urgent and Claire had almost, almost wanted it to go further . . . at least into the backseat.

But Shane had held to his word, no matter how frustrating that was for both of them, and she supposed that was still a good thing.

Mostly, she just wanted to get his clothes off and dive into the bed with him and never, ever come out. But he kissed her at her bedroom door, and she knew from the look in his eyes that he wasn't trusting himself that far with her.

Not tonight. Not even with the whole world changing.

Claire fell asleep just before dawn and slept right through sunrise. Through lunch. She only woke up at all because the next-door neighbor started up his monster gas-powered lawn mower for the last trim of the season. It was like a gardening jet engine, and no matter how many pillows Claire piled on her head, it didn't help.

The house was eerily quiet. Claire put on her robe and shuffled down the hall to the bathroom. She tapped on Eve's door on the way, but there was no answer. None at Shane's or Michael's, either. She took the fastest shower on record and went downstairs, only to find . . . nothing. No Michael, no Shane, no Eve. And no note. There was coffee in the pot, but it had long cooked down to sludge.